Over the past years, the synthetic turf industry has grown dramatically with the introduction of infill turf. These synthetic turf fields are much more affordable than earlier turfs and are more player friendly as well. In many situations these fields are used for multiple sports and it is important that when baseball or softball are not being played that the bases can be removed allowing other sports to be played.
Until now there were two main categories of bases that could be used in these applications. First, there are in-ground bases that utilize some sort of sleeve anchored into the field sub-base. These bases are often used by higher level programs. They are not versatile in that they can only be used in the location that the anchor is installed, they do not allow the flexibility to use other areas or other fields when scheduling is tight. Second, there are also simple rubber bases that are placed on top of the turf. These bases allow more flexibility, but they move out of place with even the slightest contact.
There is a need for further bases, home plates, and pitcher's rubbers, and more particularly to bases, home plates, and pitcher's rubbers for use on synthetic turf for playing baseball and softball.